ONE member Dan Robinson made it to the top of Mt. Aconcagua today where he planted a ONE flag! (We hope to get a photo of that soon.) Just 6 summits left to go…

You can read about the day-to-day journey on Dan’s blog at: http://www.dan-robinson.com/. His post for today:

Monday, January 28, 2008

At the top!

Today at 10:45 EST we finally reached the summit! Our original plan was to attempt the summit yesterday but a terrible storm kept us pinned down at 19,200 feet. The storm forced us to stay in our tents the entire day and we also had to endure temperatures of 50 below zero. The winds were absolutely brutal and made the most routine tasks incredibly difficult to do.

All the time and effort that went into this climb was justified when we got to the top of the mountain. Being able to experience the view from the highest point in South America was an emotional time for the entire group. It was a serene moment for each individual, and I was reminded of the reason for my climb to the top.

The ONE flag was proudly displayed at the top of Aconcagua and I know this is only the beginning of my journey to raise awareness. I want to thank everyone who has kept me in their thoughts and prayers and for all the support I have received over the past few weeks. Please continue to spread the message and support this important cause!

-Dan Robinson

John McCain takes the time to talk about ONE at a rally again, this time while on a campaign stop at the Villages in Lady Lake, FL, yesterday.

In this C-Span clip, the senator passes the mic to our own (unshaven) Steve Wilson! Check out out the clip and some excerpts I transcribed below.

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Senator McCain: “Could I mention to you in passing, one of the things I want to do is inspire Americans to serve causes greater than their self interests. Now there are some young people over there, if you raise your hands, from ONE. I see you, raise you hands. See these young people there?

There’s an organization called “ONE,”…there are 2 million volunteers in this country of young people who are trying to cure some of the problems that face this nation including, and the world, in under-developed countries, malaria, HIV/AIDS. They volunteer their services, they go to Africa and they try to help, and sir I’ll give you 30 seconds to describe to the people, if you bring the microphone over there, as to what these over 2 million young Americans are doing to serve humanity, mankind and the United States of America. Please go ahead sir.”

[Steve talks here!]

Senator McCain: “Thank you. My friends I’d just like to say again, the greatness of America, the greatness of America I think is epitomized by the people in your organization and they’re not just young people, they’re people from all over our society. My friends, I want to serve America, but I believe that one of the greatest things that I want to accomplish is for people to serve a cause greater than their self-interest. And could I say that I think that you and others epitomize that. I believe it’s the noblest cause you can have.”

-Virginia Simmons

At 9 p.m. EST tonight, President Bush will address the nation with his final State of the Union speech. We’ve caught word that Tatu Msangi, a 35-year-old, HIV-positive Tanzanian woman, and her 2-year-old daughter, Faith, will be among the president’s guests.

From this morning’s White House Press Release:

“Tatu Msangi is a 35-year-old single mother from Tanzania. When Tatu became pregnant, she went to the antenatal clinic at KCMC and discovered she was HIV-positive. Tatu enrolled in a Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) program and delivered a healthy daughter, named Faith. As part of her treatment, Faith received a dose of nevirapine after she was born. She is now over two years old, and she is HIV-free.

As part of her work at KCMC, Tatu counsels HIV-positive women and encourages them to participate in the PMTCT program. KCMC is supported by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief’s (PEPFAR) through the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Tatu and her daughter Faith are examples of the hope and compassion that is transforming lives with support from PEPFAR. PEPFAR, which was announced by President Bush in his 2003 State of the Union Address, is the largest commitment ever by any nation for an international health initiative dedicated to a single disease.”

As we watch tonight, we hope to hear more on PEPFAR, as well as on The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, The President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) and The Millennium Challenge Corporation.

-Virginia Simmons

When I left the ONE Campaign last fall, I had ONE bands everywhere that you could imagine: piles in every bag that I own, strewn about my car, and at my apartment. As I packed up for Nigeria, I piled all of those ONE bands and brought them with me.

This month, the Gwaimen Center (where I work) has had football and basketball matches to bring the young people of Kwoi together and we’ve used the opportunity to educate on those present on AIDS prevention. What better tool to use than the ONE bands?

While I enjoy watching football, seeing people from all around the area come together and talk about AIDS and how people can protect themselves was powerful. I told those gathered about ONE and the millions of people in the US who spend their free time and their energy fighting poverty and AIDS. This is a global effort and, in partnership, we’re going to end extreme poverty and global disease.

My friend who organized the match spoke about how these teenagers are examples to the children that were gathered to watch the match. I found his words inspiring. The next generation, whether we’re teenagers or elderly, is watching and learning from our example. We have an opportunity to change the course of history.

-Anne Batchelder

Anne is a ONE member, as well as the former ONE Deputy Field Director, and co-founder of the Gwaimen Center in Kwoi, Nigeria

On the campaign trail here in Florida we caught up with Governors Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney. We saw Mitt in downtown Orlando on a stop along the trail. After his speech we approached the governor and commended him for talking about his plans to combat global poverty.

After the meeting with Governor Romney we caught word that Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee was having an impromptu press conference at the airport. ONE members were able to chat with the governor and thanked him for his support. Gov. Huckabee was nice enough to take a photo with us before jumping in an SUV and heading off to his next stop. Ready, set, all GOP eyes on Florida!

-Wes Peterson

Here’s the latest from ONE member Dan Robinson as he progresses up Mt. Aconcagua. There’s been some illness among the group, and breathing gets harder and harder. Once they reach Camp 4, they’ll tackle the summit. For those of you just tuning in, Dan is voluntarily climbing each of the Seven Summits and planting the ONE flag on top of each. Check out his blog at: http://www.dan-robinson.com/.

-Chandler Smith

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Moving on to camp 2….

We spent most of today carrying equipment and supplies from 17,500 feet to 19,200 feet. It was a grueling process but I felt really strong climbing up the mountain. The air up here is really thin and with every step it is getting harder to breathe. We will spend another night at 17,500 feet then climb up to Camp 2 tomorrow. The storm seems to be passing and there might be a chance to summit sometime next week. The views up here are absolutely breathtaking! We are just above the clouds and you can see a magnificent view of the Andes. I can’t wait to share my pictures with everyone when I get back!
8:48 pm est

-Dan Robinson

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Leaving Camp 1

Today we climbed from 15,500 feet to 17,500 feet. It is extremely windy at this altitude and there seems to be a really bad storm coming in. We will stay here for the night then return to Camp 1 tomorrow to haul equipment and supplies to the higher camp. I’m still recovering from a bad stomach bug and I have been having headaches during most of the day. This is getting extremely tough but all the encouraging messages and support has definitely kept me motivated. Thank you for taking the time to spread the message and support the cause!

-Dan Robinson

This past weekend Nevada held its first ever early caucus. Like any political event, ONE was there. When I turned on CNN on Saturday I couldn’t miss seeing ONE shirts. But that was just one caucus, and with tens of thousands of members around Nevada and hundreds of caucus sites there are many more stories to be told than what was on the news.

A couple of volunteers have already sent in their stories of both easy successes and some frustrations:

It was a very successful day. In a 90-minute period I was given two separate opportunities to talk voters in my precinct about ONE and why it should be included in our party’s platform. It was well accepted both times and I had several people express their support for ONE after the meeting.

- Jack Winslow, Las Vegas Republican

Our Caucus went great–great experience! I had no problem submitting the plank. I was the only one to submit something that I wanted to include to the parties plank. Nobody objected and they all (32 people ) thought that it was a great idea. There was a great turn out at Bonanza High School. Several Thousand people.

- Rory K. Riley, Las Vegas Democrat

I talked up ONE to all my neighbors, explained the campaign, wrote down the internet source for members who seemed genuinely interested, distributed info and bracelets, delivered the resolution, and got myself elected to the county convention.

- Judy Michaels, Las Vegas Democrat

The caucus was a frustrating experience…but my frustrations were over issues other than my submission of the ONE platform. In fact, that was about the only thing that went much as I expected.

- David Entler

If you are a Nevadan ONE member, please take a moment to share your reflections from last weekend’s caucus by posting a comment below. It is important that we all have a chance to learn and find inspiration from your efforts.

Write a letter to the editor to your local paper and raise the profile of global poverty in the presidential election. We have a brand new tool that you can use to write and send a letter directly to your hometown paper. We even have some pre-written letters, talking points and writing tips to get you started. Check it out here:

http://www.onevote08.org/lte

I have a lot of volunteers, all of whom are dedicated and amazing people because they give up their free time to helping the world’s poor, but every once in awhile, I meet a group that leaves me slack-jawed. Chip Huber and his students at Wheaton Academy are one such group. As a school, WA has worked with ONE-partner, World Vision, over the last six years to build a medical clinic and school in Zambia. I have always thought this was “cool”, so when Chip contacted me to come speak to his class two-week intensive “Winterim” course on poverty and social justice, I thought it would be great to meet these “kids” in person.

We talked about the Millennium Development Goals and the upcoming congressional and presidential races and how the class could make an impact. I left the school excited about helping them make their first advocacy project a reality, but when Chip sent me a link to the blogs the students had been writing I was speechless. I couldn’t possibly pick a favorite of the ten, but I found this line to be particularly powerful and in line with ONE’s mission:

I considered the possibility of presenting some perfect way to tell the world about AIDS, poverty, injustice, hunger, and water issues, but I don’t think there is one. The only way to spread this in a lasting way is one person or community at a time. I really believe it’s important (though not necessary) to have a relationship with someone in order for them to be influenced by your ideas and passions. As I’ve been writing this, I’ve realized that I’m contributing to the problem of ignorance that bugs me so much, and after being saturated with information over the past two weeks, that needs to change. –Josh Ellis

I encourage you all, especially if you are a person of faith, to read all ten student blogs – and while you’re doing so, think about the lives that will likely be saved because these inspiring students chose to take a “Winterim” on poverty and social justice and not bowling.